The tricky task of introducing the reticent to the joys of oysters – yes, I’m trotting out that aphrodisiac as Valentine’s Day looms – customarily fell to oysters Rockefeller, but I’ve noticed lately that they have been appearing as snacks on menus, served with an interesting dressing. At Aimsir, it’s a warm koji butter; at Allta, seabuckthorn; and at Library St, a trickle of verjus.
At Table Wine, the new Dublin wine bar on Pleasants Street, four Kelly's Irish natives, the best oysters in the country, in my opinion, are a bit of a steal for €13, and the restrained touch of a slice of lightly fermented tomatillo is inspired.
There is, of course, a big focus on wine, and here it’s the natural stuff, the low intervention bottles that you’ll find in zeitgeisty wine bars in Paris, Copenhagen and London; bottles that are more likely to have illustrations of body parts than grapes on the label. But you will also get less funky bottles, such as Luis Seabra’s Xisto Ilimitado Branco, €43, a pristine white wine that is so good with those native oysters. You’ll find nothing below €40, but the mark-up is reasonable, and all this list needs is a few more options by the glass. Quite a few.
Previously home to Meet Me In The Morning, Brian Ó Caoimh and Kevin Powell – who are also behind Loose Canon – have transformed their compact cafe space into one of those cosy rooms you hate to leave. Downstairs, a renovated haberdashery counter is the focal point, lined with interesting bottles, and upstairs there are some larger tables for groups.
Our restaurant reviewer’s top takeaway picks of 2024
Restaurant of the year, best value and Michelin predictions: Our reviewer’s top picks of 2024
Seafood Café restaurant review: A Sunday lunch seafood feast is a wonderful thing, especially at this price
Indo-Chine restaurant review: There’s a buzz about this vibrant Dublin 4 neighbourhood place
The oysters are not my first bite. We had waited a few minutes for our table, so immediately when we sit down, a taster portion of pork belly, red cabbage and sunchoke lands on our table. It has crunch and texture, and a load of flavour, quite different from the jaded pork belly that still haunts some menus around town.
It is a good indication of the level of creativity on the menu, where seemingly simple dishes undergo quite a few processes, adding an elusive complexity. Powell, who does the cooking and brings some of the dishes to the table, is very open to interrogation, and we discover that the soy pickled shiitakes, €4, which are quite the perfect snack to go with your glass of wine, have been dehydrated, rehydrated, and pickled with a mixture of homemade plum vinegar, elderflower syrup and tamari from their own miso paste. It is earthiness, sweetness and acidity combined. And the fact that sourdough comes at no charge is an added bonus.
Cáis na Tire croquetas, three of them for €12, are again quite individual. Poblano peppers and Young Buck blue cheese add to the layers of flavour beneath a crusty, golden exterior, and tomatillo jam brings sweetness and a kick of spice from pepper and chillies. Chunks of Pink Fir Apple potatoes, €8, have been roasted till the edges are burnished gold, a few steps to get there, and finished with garlic butter and chopped chives. This is very much a dish in its own right.
And then for the crab melt toastie, €20. I will spare you the detail of how this decadent new home for Lambay crab is constructed, but rest assured that all the skill lavished on the much lauded Loose Cannon cheese toastie is brought to bear on four butter-infused triangles of triple decker loveliness, with the crab holding its own beautifully against a creamy Cáis na Tire sauce.
To finish, we share a pumpkin ginger cake, €10, which is topped with whipped cream cut with homemade yoghurt, and thin slices of wild apples from Elmhurst Farm, which have been torched and caramelised with brown sugar. A simple but original dessert and certainly enough for two people.
Dublin is starting to feel like the sort of city that you used to have to jump on a plane to visit. The more casual end of the market, with cool wine bars and small plates of delicious food has taken off in the past few months, and Table Wine is definitely one to add to your list.
Unfortunately, it is not fully accessible, and after checking with Ó Caoimh, it would seem that this may not be possible to rectify. If you are new to natural wine, this is a very good place to start, and you don’t need a Valentine’s Day excuse to dip into those oysters.
Dinner for two with a bottle of wine was €102
- Facilities Just one toilet, compact and clean
- Music Background soul and funk
- Food provenance Sustainable Seafood, McNally Farm, Elmhurst Farm, Ballyhoura Mountain Mushrooms, Higgins Butchers, Fumbally sourdough
- Vegetarian options Six vegetarian options; the roast pumpkin with Cáis na Tire cheese is particularly popular. Dishes can be adapted for vegans, advance notice appreciated but not mandatory
- Wheelchair access Room is accessible but there is no accessible toilet
